Mumbai, April 14: Minister of Transport Pratap Sarnaik on Tuesday announced that from May 1, Maharashtra Day, it will be mandatory for licensed rickshaw and taxi drivers to know Marathi. A licence inspection campaign will be conducted through 59 regional and sub-regional offices of the Motor Transport Department, and it will be verified whether the concerned drivers can read and write Marathi.
The licences of drivers who do not know Marathi will be cancelled, he added. Minister Sarnaik said that the Motor Transport Department has already made it mandatory for rickshaw or taxi drivers to have knowledge of the local language, especially Marathi, while issuing licences. However, in cities like the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, and Nagpur, many licensed drivers are unable to communicate with passengers in Marathi, and some drivers are reluctant to speak Marathi.
Complaints have been received in large numbers. He said it is everyone’s duty to learn the language of the region where they live for business purposes. He also said that as much as it is important to be proud of our mother tongue, it is equally important to respect the language of that state while doing business in another state. “Therefore, from May 1, it will be mandatory for all licensed rickshaw and taxi drivers to be able to read and write Marathi. The licences of drivers who do not follow the rules will be cancelled. Also, strict action will be taken against transport officials who ignore the rules and issue licences incorrectly,” warned the minister.
According to transport department sources, the new enforcement drive will leave little room for leniency. For drivers, failure to read or write Marathi will lead to immediate licence revocation. For officials, strict disciplinary action will be taken against Regional Transport Office officials found guilty of negligence or issuing licences through improper channels without verifying language skills.
The issue of Marathi proficiency among public transport drivers has been a recurring point of political and social discourse in Maharashtra for over a decade. In 2016, the Maharashtra government issued a similar directive requiring a working knowledge of Marathi for new auto-rickshaw permits.
This was met with legal challenges and debate over whether it discriminated against migrants. Under the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Rules, the state has the authority to prescribe conditions for the grant of permits. Language proficiency is often framed as a “public service” necessity, ensuring that drivers can understand local signage, interact with local police, and assist native passengers effectively. The announcement comes ahead of Maharashtra Day (May 1), a date of high cultural significance. By framing this as an enforcement of “existing rules,” the department aims to streamline communication on public transport while addressing long-standing grievances from local commuters, sources said.
IANS
